How to wear scents

There is an art and science to wearing scents. Especially in humid weather.

Here’s what to note:

💦 Slathering on unscented body lotions first to help a perfume “stick” is one way. But in this hot and humid weather, body creams might be the last thing you want to wear.

An alternative is to let the scent “cling” elsewhere, such as your clothes and hair.

I find that scents hardly last all day on my skin – unless it is super duper expensive such as Frederic Malle’s potions.

A point to note though: spritz scents onto clothes from an arm’s length away. So only tiny droplets settle on your dress or blouse, not a direct spray that leaves behind a splotch that is inpossible to remove (from silks especially).

💦 Imagine the warm spots of your skin as “diffusers”. They are keep the scent molecules wafting towards your nose and others’.

💦 Sprtiz, dab, press; but don’t rub on perfumes. The scent molecules should settle on your skin or clothes as they were designed; rubbing would disrupt its complex structure and destroy the fragrance.

💦 An eau de parfum does not always give you the bang for your buck. How long a scent lasts depends on the quality of the raw ingredients and ingenuity of the perfumer. So don’t feel guilty about spending on quality scents.

This one – with its gorgeous, decadent bottle complete with faux snake skin, gold chain and silky tassel – has a juicy floral character to it too.

But with a vanilla gourmand, caramel saccharine depth.

How the brand describes Decadence: “Marc Jacobs Decadence is a sensual, luxurious, woody fragrance, embodying the spirit of irreverent glamour.

The fragrance opens with sultry top notes of Italian plum, iris flower, and saffron. The heart opens with luxurious notes of Bulgarian rose, jasmine sambac, and orris. The indulgent dry down reveals the base notes of vetiver, papyrus woods, and liquid amber.”